


Not Looking for Love (But It Found Me)

by covarla



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alpha Peter Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Bullying, M/M, Omega Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/covarla/pseuds/covarla
Summary: The woman blinked at him.  "We automatically match all Omegas when they come of age."Stiles grimaced. "Well, unmatched me.  This is me, opting out of your service.""But…"  The woman seemed utterly dumbfounded.  "The Alphas have already been contacted.  One is scheduled to meet with you after we're done here.""Well, that's not my problem, now is it?  You made the appointments.  You cancel them."
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 176
Kudos: 1287
Collections: Steter Secret Santa 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SupaCutiePie](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=SupaCutiePie).



> Sorry that this is so late! 
> 
> The request asked for ABO with a side of angst. Not really sure I'll be able to go too angsty on this one, but I hope this is what you were looking for. There will be a couple more chapters to this, so, SupaCutiePie, if there's anything specific you'd like to request please feel free to do so in the comments and I'll try my best.

"What the hell is this?" Stiles slapped the folder down onto the counter with a disgusted look. 

The clerk at the desk looked incredibly confused. "Your matches?" She glanced at the file again. "Several of the Alphas have indicated that they are very interested in meeting with you." She smiled at him.

"Yeah," Stiles said, drawing out the word. "There's just one thing." He leaned forward, his voice raising a good octave. "I don't want to be matched!"

"But…" The woman stuttered out the word in shock. "What about your heats? It can take months to find a compatible match."

Stiles felt a blush heating his cheeks. He had to resist glancing around the clinic's lobby, instead focusing on the oblivious Beta at the desk in front of him. "I will manage fine," he grit out, "just like every other unmatched Omega. There is no law saying I have to have an Alpha." He nudged the folder of Alpha profiles and pictures towards the woman. "I certainly don't need these."

The woman blinked at him. "We automatically match all Omegas when they come of age."

Stiles grimaced. "Well, unmatched me. This is me, opting out of your service."

"But…" The woman seemed utterly dumbfounded. "The Alphas have already been contacted. One is scheduled to meet with you after we're done here."

"Well, that's not my problem, now is it? You made the appointment. You cancel it."

Stiles turned on his heel and stalked out of the lobby. He ignored the incredulous glances that the other people in the room were giving him, too angry to care about the scene he had just made. Stiles glanced briefly at a particularly fine Alpha who held the door open for him with an amused smile. Any other day, Stiles would have stopped to admire the man, maybe even work up the courage to talk to him. But, right now, the faint scent of Alpha was making his blood boil, and not in the good way. "Thank you," he ground out, because even if he was angry, his father had raised him to be polite.

It took a great deal of restraint not to slam the door to his Jeep. Restraint he did not show when he reached the much sturdier front door of his house. Stiles threw his bookbag in the general direction of the stairs and turned towards the kitchen. “I can’t believe I had to miss lacrosse practice for this crap,” he muttered. Stiles stuck his head in the refrigerator, rummaging around for a bit before he found his dad’s ‘secret’ stash of chocolate and taking the whole bag. He grabbed a bag of chips out of the back of the cupboard and a couple of cans of soda, taking his whole haul to the living room. Stiles dumped his snacks down on the coffee table as he considered their selection of DVDs. He turned to the box sets after a moment of consideration. Today was a day for a Buffy marathon. He popped in the first disc, settled on the couch, and promptly lost himself in campy supernatural teen drama.

“Appointment went well I take it?” His dad’s voice startled Stiles out of his binge a few hours later. 

Stiles looked over at Noah, who was leaning against the doorway still in his uniform. He crumpled the empty chip bag and gathered up his empty cans. “Apparently, the clinic has arranged appointments for me to meet with Alphas,” Stiles said as he walked into the kitchen. He wiped his hands clean once he had taken care of his trash. He opened the refrigerator, considering the contents for a minute before shutting the door again. Stiles pulled out the takeout menus and set them down on the table near his dad. 

Noah raised an eyebrow, but didn’t hesitate before flipping through the menus. “You’ve barely been eighteen for a month.” His father glanced over at Stiles with a questioning look. “I hope you know I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I thought you were set on waiting until after college.”

“Yeah, I was… am.” Stiles shrugged. He felt his anger stirring again. “They automatically match all Omegas when they turn eighteen. Don’t even give you the option to opt out, just assume you want to start being a baby factory right out of high school.” Stiles paced across the open space in the middle of the kitchen. “I mean, you would think that they would have notified us that they were doing that, right? But, nope, just a cryptic call to set up an appointment and they were going to spring the first Alpha on me this afternoon.” Stiles glanced over at his father as a thought occurred to him. “I may not have been as polite to the receptionist as I should have been,” he admitted with a guilty wince. “But the woman just kinda sprang a folder of Alphas on me and was shocked that I wasn’t ecstatic to roll over and present for one of them.”

It was Noah’s turn to wince then. “Really, Stiles? That was not an image I needed.” His father’s expression turned to one of regret. “Your mother probably would have known they were going to do something like that,” Noah said softly. “I don’t think anyone at the clinic even mentioned it to me any of the times we’ve been there for your checkups.” He ran a hand down his face before seeming to shake off his melancholy. “I take it you cancelled the appointments?”

Stiles snorted. “Well, I told her that she made the appointments, she could cancel them, but in effect, yes.” He tapped the pizza menu still in his dad’s hand. “I’ll compromise on pepperoni and sausage as long as your forgo the extra cheese.”

“Deal.” Noah practically clutched the menu to his chest, as if that would prevent Stiles from changing his mind. 

“And maybe an order of fried mushrooms?” Stiles called over his shoulder as he headed back into the living room. 

Stiles resumed the episode he had been watching while a part of his attention followed his father around the house. He heard Noah travel back to his office to put his gun in the safe back there. Then upstairs to change and back down to putter around in the kitchen. Eventually, his father came back out to the living room. Noah set a couple sodas on the coffee table before plopping down in his favorite armchair. 

“I know you can handle yourself,” Noah said in a lull in the episode, “but if any of those Alphas cause you problems, just let me know. It’s illegal to stalk or harass an Omega. You just give me a call and they can cool off in jail.”

Stiles smiled, feeling better than he had all afternoon. “Thanks Dad.”

*************

Despite his outburst in the clinic, Stiles really hadn’t considered that what he had done was anything noteworthy. He was proved wrong the next morning when he walked into school to find every eye on him. Stiles felt his shoulders hunching as he made his way to his locker. Pockets of whispers started up as he passed, but he couldn’t tell what was being said.

Scott looked just as confused when he joined Stiles in the hallway. “Dude,” Scott whispered. “What did you do?”

Stiles shrugged. “Not entirely sure,” he hedged. This couldn’t be about what happened at the clinic, could it? He hadn’t recognized anyone else in the lobby at the time. Stiles didn’t think he’d been matched with anyone at the school, but he also hadn’t gotten the whole way through the folder. He’d pretty much stopped when he’d gotten to the fifty year old Alpha in Dakota. Because, really? That was a good match?

He turned the corner only to have the whispers follow after him. Stiles let out a resigned sigh when he got to his locker and saw 'BITCH' scrawled across his locker. "You know," he said to Scott and he unlocked his locker, "I never know what the intent is behind calling male Omegas bitches. I mean, are they comparing us to dogs or are they trying to attack my masculinity by using a generally feminine insult?" He slid his books in his bag. "Like, what exactly am I supposed to be offended about?” Scott snorted from where he was leaning on the lockers behind Stiles. Stiles turned to look at Scott, which is why he was startled when his locker door slammed shut by itself, barely missing his fingers. 

“Jesus Christ!” He stumbled back from the locker and turned to glare at the Alpha whose hand was still on Stiles’s locker. He recognized the boy. Allen Reynolds, the captain of the basketball team. “What the hell man?”

Reynolds looked him up and down before cocking an eyebrow. “You too good for Alphas now, Stilinski?”

“What?” Stiles spluttered. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to stare at the other boy. 

“The clinic called to say you’d canceled our meeting next week,” Reynolds said. “You too good for me? Is that it?”

Stiles ran a hand down his face. “Ugh. They matched you with me.” He let his hand fall away. “Look, asshole, I don’t want any Alpha right now, let alone you.”

Reynolds looked clearly unimpressed. “What? Don’t want to be tied to an Alpha mate when you can whore around with Betas? Or do you really think McCall there has what it takes to satisfy you?”

“Ugh.” Stiles pushed past Reynolds with a look of disgust. “That’s my brother, you sick fuck.” He shook his head. “Fucking glad I cancelled the appointment now. I would hate to be stuck in a room with an Alpha like you.” 

Stiles started to stalk down the hall. At least now he knew what the whispers were about. He heard a couple muttered insults being called after him, probably by Reynold’s teammates. Beside him, Scott tensed. His friend’s expression was growing steadily darker. He looked about ready to launch himself at the basketball players, but Stiles was sure there was at least one werewolf among the group and Scott would just get his human ass beat up. Stiles huffed out an annoyed breath. “It’s fine, Scott. Just ignore them.” He really hoped there wasn’t anyone else at school he’d managed to unintentionally piss off, but he doubted that he would have that good of luck.

Whispers followed him throughout the halls for the rest of the morning until he was sure the entire school had been informed about what had happened. At least by lunch it had changed to the occasional giggling. In the afternoon, he had more than one Alpha ‘accidentally’ bump into him in the hallway. His books were slapped out of his hands, but by the time he looked back up there was no one nearby. Plenty of people were staring and laughing though. Never when there was an adult nearby though. Apparently his bullies were smart enough to avoid detention.

By the time school let out, Stiles was already tired and bruised. He wanted to go home, but there was still lacrosse practice. He could feel people watching him in the locker room as he changed. Apparently Scott could too, judging by the number of glares his friend was shooting around the room. Stiles changed as quickly as possible. 

At least running sprints around the field was a good distraction from his day. He could just focus on the ground in front of his feet and not tripping. Then Coach had the team split so that they could run drills against each other. Even though they were one team, some of the players got kind of intense when they played against each other. It was like tryouts all over again as they tried to prove that they belonged on first line. Stiles was so focused on the path of the ball that he didn’t even notice the person charging for him before he was knocked into. His breath rushed out in a grunt when he hit the ground hard. 

The shrill sound of a whistle cut through the commotion. “What the hell Jackson?” Well, that identified who had run into him. Stiles groaned as he was yanked roughly to his feet. “You alright there Bilinksi?”

Stiles gingerly shifted his weight and rotated his wrists. It didn’t feel like anything was sprained or broken. “Yeah, Coach. I’m fine.”

Coach patted him on the shoulder before turning to look at the other players. “Again, what the hell was that Jackson?”

“Sorry, Coach. Must have lost track of the ball." Jackson gave Finstock a smile as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Stiles couldn’t help rolling his eyes. That was bullshit and he knew it. 

Another whistle blow had Stiles flinching. “Back at it,” Coach called as he made his way back to the side of the field. 

He tried to keep a closer eye on the players around him, but he wasn’t able to get out of the way even though he saw the second check coming. He did see the third one coming though. Stiles grit his teeth and planted his feet, checking Rodriguez before he could. Rodriguez looked startled when he fell to the ground. “Yeah, I’m first line now too, remember,” Stiles said as he stood over the other boy. “Gotta be faster than that.”

Stiles was on alert for the rest of practice, but no one else seemed willing to try anything. There were still some muttered comments in the locker room. Stiles grit his teeth as he worked to ignore them as best he could.

He was distracted on the way home, his mind busy replaying the day and everything that he could have done differently. He knew there was at least one werewolf he had been matched with, as well as a number of human Alphas. He was going to have to assume that there would be more Alphas that would be butthurt about their perceived rejection. It took some creative Google searches and some research, but by evening he had a plan and several items on order that would probably make his father raise an eyebrow. 

There wasn’t much he could prepare on short notice, but Stiles was nothing if not creative. By the time he went to school the next morning, he was prepared. He knew he was probably a bit quieter than normal as he and Scott went about their day. Scott kept shooting him sideways glances. He just gave Scott what he hoped was a reassuring smile while he kept an eye on the crowds around them. 

No one tried anything until right after lunch. He saw the Alpha weaving towards him. Just like he had in lacrosse practice, he planted his feet and leaned into the hit. The Alpha stumbled and went sprawling along the hall. Stiles turned to look, not at all surprised that it was another one of Reynold’s friends. “I thought basketball players were supposed to be steadier on their feet,” he called over his shoulder.

The buzz of whispers grew around him, but Stiles tried not to let it get to him. He might be an Omega, but he wasn’t going to take bullying lying down. There was only about two month left in the school year. He could manage that long. He just had to concentrate on Berkeley and how much better it would be there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had happy holidays and the new year is treating you well!

"That's the one?"

Stiles looked up from his contemplation of cereals to see two Alphas further down the aisle. They were both attractive with tight clothing showing off muscled forms and carefully styled hair. And they were twins. Stiles looked back down at the two cereal boxes in his hand before the Alphas could catch him staring. He didn’t even want an Alpha right now, no sense in ogling ones that were out of his league anyways. 

“Yeah, I think so,” the other Alphas said. “Looks like him.”

Stiles looked around as he put one of the cereals back on the shelf and tossed the other one in his cart. He didn’t see anyone else in the aisle. He chanced a glance back at the Alphas and saw them looking right at him. In almost perfect synchronization, their eyes flashed red. They weren’t just any Alphas. They were werewolf Alphas. And they were looking at him as if he were prey. Stiles swallowed down a wave of nerves. He turned his cart and started walking towards checkout. Anything else on his list could wait. 

“He doesn’t look like much,” the first Alpha said, his voice dripping with scorn. Stiles couldn’t help the way his body started to curl inward, as if making himself smaller would get the Alphas to stop noticing him, stop talking about him. “I mean, he’s so skinny and pale,” the voice continued. The Alpha sounded like he was closer that he had been in the cereal aisle. Stiles glanced over his shoulder and saw the twins following him through the store, only a few paces behind him. They had to know Stiles could hear them. 

“That can be fixed once he’s turned,” the other Alpha said. “The profile said that he was smart, good grades. And he can obviously handle homemaking duties.”

Stiles felt his eye starting to twitch. He stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at the Alphas incredulously. The twins stopped short not too far away from him. “Are you following me?” Stiles asked, unable to keep the anger from his voice. “You know I can hear you, right?”

One of the Alphas shrugged, an arrogant smirk on his face. The other twin stepped forward though. “Sorry. I just wanted a chance to talk to you,” he said with a warm smile. “Ethan Steiner, I was matched with you by your Omega clinic.” The Alpha held out a hand.

Stiles considered the hand, but crossed his arms across his chest instead of reaching out. “Ahh. I’m assuming you’re not from Beacon Hills,” he said, looking over the twins. They didn’t seem that much older than him and he would have definitely remembered going to school with them. “So, you drove out here for nothing. The lady at the clinic was supposed to cancel the appointments they made.” He gave the nicer of the two twins, Ethan, a slight nod and turned back towards his cart.

A clawed hand on his arm stopped him, yanking him abruptly back to face the twins. Stiles looked down at the clawed hand and then up at the face of Twin Number Two. He raised an eyebrow at the Alpha and tried to project how deeply unimpressed he was. These guys were definitely not from around here. “You didn’t even meet with my brother,” the Alpha said. “You should at least give him a chance.”

“Aiden,” Ethan admonished. He laid a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Their eyes met and they did the kind of nonverbal communication that involved twitched eyebrows and microexpressions, but no actual words. Aiden let go of Stiles’s arm. 

“Look,” Stiles said, interrupting the twin’s silent conversation. “I am not ready to be mated, and even if I were, I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for in an Omega. So, while I appreciate the interest, my answer will be no.” Stiles glanced to the left when movement caught his eye. He had to resist smiling when he saw a familiar uniform approaching. 

“Listen here, bitch,” Aiden started to say, his eyes flashing red. He took a step towards Stiles, but stopped when a tall figure stepped between them.

“Is there a problem here?” Deputy Parrish used his height and bulk to block Stiles from the twin’s view. 

Silence stretched on for a few minutes before Stiles heard the twins shifting. “No,” Ethan said. “No problem, officer.” 

Jordan shifted to keep himself between Stiles and the Alphas as they moved away. His gaze followed them until they exited the store, only then did he turn around to look at Stiles. “You alright there, Stiles?”

“Yeah,” Stiles said with a smile. “All good. Thanks, Jordan.” He turned back towards the store’s aisles so he could grab the last few things he needed. “Say hi to everyone down at the station for me,” he called over his shoulder with a wave. “I’ll bring donuts or something next time I visit.” 

He heard Parrish laugh. “As long as your dad only manages to get one, right?” Stiles looked over his shoulder to see Jordan shaking his head as he made his way towards the exit. “See you around, kid.”

Stiles was actually in a much better mood by the time he finished grabbing what he needed and made it through the checkout line. He’d almost entirely brushed off the negative feelings from his earlier encounter with the asshole Alphas. Unfortunately his mood plummeted as soon as he exited the store and two figures stepped out from between the lines of cars. They didn’t even try to hide the fact that they were following him, stalking him. Stiles shifted his grip on the cart so he could steer it with one hand while he pulled out his phone. It rang twice before his father answered.

“Hey, Dad,” Stiles greeted cheerfully. “Did you run into Jordan yet?”

“No.” Noah’s tone was a mixture of curiosity and dread. “Do I want to know what happened?”

Stiles felt his lips twitch into a smile as he spotted his Jeep. “Well, I was down at the store getting groceries and I ran into one of the Alphas that I was matched with.” Behind him he heard one of the Alphas growl, but he didn’t bother to turn around to see which one. There were still far too many people around for the Alphas to dare try anything. “Well, him and his brother. They’re not really taking no for an answer.”

“I see.” Stiles heard the muffled sound of his father talking to one of the deputies, then a door slamming shut. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah.” Stiles had to do a bit of juggling to hold the phone, keep the cart from rolling away, and unlock his Jeep. He managed to get the back open and two of the bags in without dropping anything, which he considered to be a great accomplishment. “See you soon.” Stiles hung up his phone and slid it back into his pocket as he loaded another bag in.

“Really? You called your father?” Aiden said. 

Stiles looked over his shoulder at the twins. “Yeah? What else did you expect when you decided to stalk me?”

“I just want a chance to talk,” Ethan said. “I don’t think you’ve given the possibility of a match a fair chance.” He waved a hand at himself. “I know you don’t think you need an Alpha right now, but we have a good pack. I can provide you with a good life as an Alpha’s mate.”

Stiles snorted. He leaned into the back of his Jeep, rooting around in there for a moment until his hand connected with solid wood. “I already said no,” Stiles said. He grinned at the Alphas in a way that was more of a canine baring of teeth than an actual smile. “And if you can’t honor ‘no’, then we really aren’t compatible.” Stiles turned and leveled the bat at the twin Alphas, who were now close enough to box him in between the back of the Jeep and the cart. 

“A bat? Really?” Aiden scoffed. He reached forward and wrapped his hand around the thick end of the bat, probably intending to pull it from Stiles’s grip. Instead, the Alpha let out a howl and stumbled back. Aiden clutched at his hand, which had already started to blister. 

“What the fuck?” Ethan glanced between his brother’s hand and Stiles. His face rippled from human to werewolf and back again as his control over the shift weakened. Apparently his brother was a trigger point for him. Ethan’s eyes flashed red when he stared at Stiles. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you your place, Omega?” Ethan stepped forward, but stopped short when Stiles swung the bat in his direction.

Stiles glanced down the road, but there was no sign of any of the cruisers. It was going to take his dad another few minutes to get across town from the station. He almost wished for a second that he had a werewolf’s hearing so he would at least be able to pick up the sound of sirens approaching. His eyes snapped back to the Alphas when Aiden growled. The Alpha was still clutching his blistered hands, but his canines were showing. The way he was looking at Stiles did not bode well for him.

“Now, is that any way to treat an Omega?” a smooth voice said from somewhere behind Stiles. He chanced a glance to the left to see a tall Alpha stepping out from around the side of the Jeep. The Alpha flashed red eyes at the twins, showing his werewolf status without resorting to dropping fangs or popping claws. The new Alpha stopped a little ways in front of and to the left of Stiles, not putting himself between Stiles and the twins, but clearly marking whose side he was on. The Alpha tsked and shook his head. “Young pups,” he chided. “You’ll never win a mate that way.”

Stiles could almost feel the tension between the werewolves. The twins had clearly not thought of Stiles as much of a threat, but this new Alpha had them reconsidering. Not quite enough to give up entirely, but enough to make them pause. Stiles tightened his grip on the bat, fully prepared to clock one of the twins upside the head if they took another step forward. He practically sagged in relief when he caught sight of flashing lights. The twins looked startled when cruisers came towards them from either direction. 

“Hey, Dad,” Stiles called when his father stepped out of the lead cruiser. 

“What!?” Ethan and Aiden said in unison. 

He couldn’t help laughing at the matching looks of shock on their faces. “Maybe try doing your research first before stalking an Omega,” Stiles pointed out wryly. “Or, you know, don’t be douchebags.”

His dad stopped just short of the twins. His gaze scanned over them before flicking to the new Alpha. “Hale,” Noah greeted. “And what’s your part in this?”

The Alpha raised his hands in a show of innocence. “I was merely passing by, Sheriff.” The twins winced, Ethan going so far as to mouth the word ‘Sheriff’. “Your son certainly didn’t need my help.” Hale glanced down at the bat in Stiles’s hands before giving Stiles an appraising look. “Did you actually coat a bat in wolfsbane oil?”

Stiles grinned at the Alpha as he shook his head. Now that his father and his deputies were here, Stiles felt comfortable lowering his bat. He swung it in a slow arch so that the wood gently tapped against his free palm. “Nope,” he said, drawing out the word and popping the ‘p’. “It’s special order, made entirely out of rowan wood.”

“Impressive,” Hale said, approval clear in his voice. 

“Yeah, impressive,” Noah said, though his tone said anything but. Stiles turned his attention back to his surroundings in time to see the twins being led towards the waiting cruisers. “Why don’t you go give Tara your statement while I take one from Stiles here?”

The Alpha, apparently one of the many Hales, started to move in the direction Noah had indicated, but stopped when Stiles reached out and caught his sleeve. He looked down at the hand and then up at Stiles’s face. His eyebrows quirked in a way that was signature Hale. “Wait.” Stiles bit his lip, looking down in order to hide the blush he felt spreading on his cheeks. “Thank you, uh, Mr. Hale.”

“Peter,” the Alpha corrected. His tone was warm and soft. It sent a shiver down Stiles’s spine. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Stiles.” The Alpha gave a little bow, which should have been ridiculous but somehow Peter managed to pull it off. “I hope the next time we meet will be under better circumstances.” The Alpha took advantage of Stiles’s surprise to gently raise Stiles’s free hand and place a kiss to the back of it. Peter turned and walked away, leaving Stiles staring after him.

His father’s heavy sigh broke Stiles from his trance. He ripped his eyes away from Peter’s retreating form to look over at Noah instead. His father was shaking his head. “How about we get the rest of these groceries loaded then I’ll follow you home and we can take your statement there?” Noah said, already starting to pull bags out of the cart to load them into the back of the Jeep.

Stiles shook himself to clear his head. He jolted forward to toss his bat back into the Jeep. “Yeah. Good plan.” Stiles paused with his hand on the rear hatch door. He glanced over his shoulder. The twins were out of sight and Peter was several rows away next to Tara’s cruiser. Stiles forced himself to turn back around. He closed the hatch and tried to forget about Hale and the weird feeling of warmth the man gave him.

*************

Stiles idly spun around in the chair, surveying the reception area of the Sheriff's station as he turned. The phone was quiet. Not that he expected much activity on a Saturday afternoon in Beacon Hills. There likely wouldn't be much in the way of visitors either. The only sound was the muffled chatter coming through the door to the station's bullpen. Stiles tapped his fingers along the counter as he spun past, pushing off with one hand to propel himself through another rotation. He should have brought a book with him, but he hadn't expected his father to be caught up in a meeting. Hence, spinning.

The door opened with a jingle of bells and Stiles clutched onto the counter to stop his rotation. He looked up at the person approaching the desk and pasted on his Customer Service smile. The woman stopped short with a look of surprise. "Oh. Hello, Stiles."

"Hey, Mrs. Hale," he greeted with a genuine smile. The DA had always been nice to him and his father. "You here to see my dad or did you need me to page one of the deputies?"

Talia gave him a long, critical look before answering. "I have a file for the Sheriff and was hoping to talk to your father for a moment."

Stiles nodded. "He's just finishing up a meeting and should be heading out any moment now if you want to wait and catch him on the way out. Or I can buzz you through."

"I don't mind waiting." Talia set her satchel down on the counter, shifting through the files within before pulling out one. "How is school going, Stiles?"

"It's going well," he answered, slowly swiveling back and forth in the chair. "No problem classes this year. I'm not going to be able to challenge Lydia for valedictorian, but should still make the top five."

Talia nodded. "And what are your plans for after graduation?"

Stiles bit back a groan. He didn't understand why every adult he ran into kept asking the same question. At least Talia hadn't asked if he was planning on settling down with a nice mate. "Summer internship at the station again this year," he answered, "then Berkeley in the fall."

Talia's eyes widening slightly was the only hint that she was surprised by his answer. The polite smile didn't slip from her face. "Berkeley is a good school." 

"Yeah, good, but expensive," Noah stated as he came through the door from the bullpen. He gave Stiles a look. "Where's Bailey?" His father nodded towards the counter Stiles was sitting behind. 

"He went across the street to grab some coffee," Stiles said. "Figured I could cover while I was waiting for you."

Noah sighed. "Sorry, kiddo. I know we were supposed to be going for lunch. It may be a little bit yet." He turned to Talia. "Hello, Talia. I'm assuming you have something for me."

Talia nodded. "The depositions on the Dunston case." She glanced over at Stiles and then back at Noah. "I was also hoping to talk to you about Peter. In private, please."

"Oh." Stiles straightened up in his chair. "Hey, how does Peter fit into the whole Hale family, pack, whatever?" Stiles waved his hand in a squiggly motion that he hoped conveyed the huge and confusing Hale family tree and their associated pack members. "I don't think I've ever met him before the other day."

Talia hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose you wouldn't have." She regarded him for another long moment. "He's my younger brother," she replied, "though he's closer in age to Laura than he is to me."

"Huh." Stiles spun back and forth as he thought. "Well, he seemed nice enough from the whole five minutes that I saw him." Stiles shrugged. He grinned as another thought occurred to him. "He complimented my bat."

"Yes," Talia drew out the word in a way that he suspected meant she didn't quite agree, but was being too polite to disagree out loud. "He did mention your bat. I imagine that was hard to find."

Stiles nodded. "Had to special order it, and a few other things, but apparently it comes in handy against sketchy Alpha wolves who don't understand 'no'."

His father let out a long sigh. "Do I want to know what else you ordered?" Noah glanced at Talia. "Or should I ask later when the DA isn't in the room?"

Stiles waved a hand to dismiss his father's concern as he reached into his pocket. "Nothing illegal, dad." He pulled two small objects out of his pocket. Stiles held up the small red canister first. "Pepper spray." He held up a small blue tube. "Pocket air horn." Stiles pocketed the two items again. "I've also got fart spray, itching powder, and glitter bombs in my backpack and a rape whistle and a stun gun in the glove compartment of my car. None of that will permanently harm any of the knotheads."

Talia rubbed a hand over her eyes and muttered something that sounded like "No wonder they matched", which made absolutely no sense. She looked up at Stiles with an oddly resigned expression. “Isn’t that a little extreme?”

Stiles snorted. “Well, the clinic must have shared my picture, name, and hometown with every person they arranged to match me with, without my consent. Because apparently they don’t need the Omega’s consent to be matched or to share their personal information. Which really has to be some kind of violation of the recent Omega privacy and protection laws. And I’ve had not one but two Alphas track me down because they were butthurt that I wouldn’t even meet with them. Well, technically three cause the one brought his twin brother along, which was just weird. Like, are they both gay or was the one just weirdly invested in his brother getting a mate? Cause Aiden was definitely more offended about it than Ethan seemed to be. And..." He cut off his rant and took a deep breath instead. He had to be sending off all kinds of angry Omega pheromones and he didn’t want to rile up the protective instincts of every Alpha in the station. Stiles took another breath and resumed talking at a much calmer pace. “No, I don’t think it’s an extreme."

“Three Alphas?” Noah’s voice was rising in a tone that was wavering somewhere between anger and panic. "There was another one besides the twins?"

And that’s when he remembered he hadn’t actually told his father about the kids at school bullying him. Or about his retaliation. “Uhh… Yeah…” Stiles licked his lips nervously. “Allen Reynolds. From the basketball team? He was also pretty pissed that I refused the match.”

“Right.” Noah squeezed the bridge of his nose. His voice held a bit of a growl, a hint of his Alpha tone slipping into his voice in his agitation. “Talia, this might be a bit longer of a discussion than you originally planned for. I have a feeling I am going to need some legal advice. ” He turned towards the door to the bullpen. “Why don’t we talk in my office. Stiles, about lunch…”

“It’s fine, dad,” Stiles interrupted. “Once Bailey gets back I’ll go and grab something. Might stop at the bookstore down the street, but I’ll make sure to drop off something for you before I head home.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” His dad shot him a strained smile before ushering Talia back into the heart of the station.

Stiles sighed and resumed his slow rolling around and around. He was not looking forward to that conversation with his father later. It was likely going to mean some kind of complaint to the principal, which would lead to an investigation into the bullying. That would just do wonders for Stiles's already tanking social standing. And he expected some guilt from his dad about why Stiles hadn’t come to him about the bullying when it started. 

Before he could get too deep into worrying, the door opened and Deputy Bailey walked through. “Thanks, Stiles,” the Beta said, plopping down a cup of coffee and a takeout bag from the cafe across the street. “Your dad ready to head out yet?"

“Nah.” Stiles vacated the chair and walked around to the front of the counter so the deputy could get settled in again. “He’s caught up in some stuff. Going to stop back later with some takeout for him.” Stiles tapped his knuckles on the wood of the counter. “You all set?”

Bailey nodded. “Thanks again for covering my break,” he said as he spread his food out. 

Stiles took a deep breath in through his nose. The room was still full of riled up Alpha and Omega pheromones. Stiles cracked a couple of the front windows. "Might want to leave these open for a bit," Stiles advised. Bailey nodded, looking a bit confused, but not arguing. His Beta senses probably didn't even register the pheromones in the room. "Just trust me on this," Stiles said as he slipped out the front door.

He didn't realize how much his dad and Talia's scents had been stressing him until he got a few breaths of fresh spring air. Stiles felt his shoulders relaxing as the tension leeched out of his muscles. He paused for a second to just breathe, letting his eyes drift closed as he relaxed. He felt a little bit lighter when he opened his eyes. 

There were three possibilities for food within a short walk of the station. The coffee shop across the street was great for baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, but Stiles was in the mood for something more hardy. The diner down the street had a lot of options, and awesome curly fries, but the sandwich shop the other way down the street was sounding the best right now. Plus it was only a few doors down from the bookstore that Stiles loved.

The bells above the bookstore's door jingled softly when he entered. Stiles glanced over at the counter and exchanged polite nods with Brian before the guy went back to his book. The shop itself was quiet, only a few other customers silently browsing the shelves. Stiles contemplated his options for only a moment before heading straight back to the science fiction and fantasy section. 

There hadn't been a ton of new releases since the last time he'd been through, or at least nothing from the authors that he followed and no new authors' works that were jumping out at him. He did find an older Pratchett book that he didn't have yet and a new Star Wars novel that looked vaguely entertaining. A quick scan through the mystery section had nothing new added to his pile, but he found two interesting books in the nonfiction aisles dedicated to the various supernatural species.

He was just turning the corner towards the next aisle when he caught sight of the older lady who lived three houses down from him and his dad. The one that liked to be involved in everyone in the neighborhood's business. Stiles quickly turned back around but Mrs. Ferguson must have already seen him. "Stiles, dearie." He flinched at the simpering voice. Too late. 

Stiles looked down at the books in his hands and then towards the door. He could make an excuse to leave, but then he would have to chance that the books were still going to be there another day. Or he could suffer through a polite conversation with his least favorite neighbor. He pasted on a smile as he turned around. "Hello, Mrs. Ferguson," he said through his forced smile. Maybe it wasn't too late to run. 

"How are you doing?" Mrs. Ferguson asked. She looked him up and down before giving him a coy smile. "You've grown into such a fine young Omega. Should I expect to see a Mating Ceremony announcement in the papers soon?"

Stiles had to hold back a shudder. "No," he managed. "I'm not even dating anyone, so no Ceremony anytime soon. Maybe after college. I’m… uh… going to Berkeley in the fall."

Mrs. Ferguson nodded approvingly. "A fine choice," she said as she patted his arm. "No need to settle for a small town Alpha if you can meet a nice one at college. A lawyer or a doctor would be best, but an accountant or an engineer would make a fine mate as well. Nice steady job, accounting. Not as prestigious, but they make good providers. Like my Bruce. He just graduated, you know." 

"Uh… No," Stiles spluttered. "That's not…" He resisted the urge to face palm. Instead he hastily fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, angling it so Mrs. Ferguson couldn't see. "Oh, it's my dad. Sorry. I should take this." He held the phone up to his ear, suddenly very glad that his neighbor was not a werewolf or other supernatural creature and couldn't tell he was lying. He backed down the aisle quickly. "It was lovely to see you, Mrs. Ferguson," he said over her protests. "Hey, Dad," he said to the phone. He faked a pause for his dad's hypothetical side of the conversation. "Yeah, I'm still at the bookstore." Another pause. "I don't know. I can check if they have a copy. Hold on."

As soon as he was out of Mrs. Ferguson's sight, he ducked down a random aisle. He glanced at the section to his left. Military History. Yeah, he was safe here. Stiles held on to his phone for a few more seconds as he watched the entrance to the aisle. When no little old ladies appeared he started to relax. He relaxed further when he heard Mrs. Ferguson start talking to Brian at the register. Stiles deemed it safe enough to tuck his phone away and start backing down the aisle. He kept an eye on the front of the store, ready to resume his fake conversation if needed.

He stopped short when his back ran into a solid wall. An oddly warm wall. Well short of the end of the aisle, where walls should be. Stiles leaned his head back into a solid chest and blinked up at someone with familiar blue eyes and an amused smirk. Stiles flailed forward, dropping his books in his surprise and almost tripping over them in the process. "Sorry," he said hastily. He glanced at Peter Hale, but looked away again when his cheeks started to heat with embarrassment. Stiles knelt down and started to gather up his fallen books. "Uh… Should have watched where I was going."

"No harm done, my dear." Peter knelt down not far away, picking up Stiles's other two books from the floor. 

Stiles felt his embarrassment grow when Peter turned one of the books over to examine it. Of course it was his trashy Star Wars novel. Stiles glanced down at the books in his hands. And Peter held the book on werewolves that Stiles had picked out. Because that was the way Stiles's luck ran. Now if only there was a merciful god that would make the ground swallow him up. Or maybe he would just be the first person to actually die of embarrassment. His tombstone would forever immortalize his shame. 'Here lies Stiles Stilinski. Loser, Nerd, Wolfwhore, and All Around Freak.'

Peter made a thoughtful noise as he rose to his feet, Stiles's books still in his hands. He held out a hand towards Stiles without even looking at the boy. Stiles hesitated a moment, but accepted the hand when Peter didn't pull it back after a few seconds. The werewolf easily pulled Stiles to his feet. But Peter didn't let go of Stiles's hand. Instead, he gently pulled him through the aisles.

"Thurman's work is a little too heavily derived from pop culture and stereotypes," Peter said. He released Stiles's hand when they came to a stop in front of the Werewolf section. Peter absently held Stiles's Star Wars novel out to him as he scanned the shelves. Stiles quickly took the book back, tucking it in with the other books and hugging those towards his chest. He watched as Peter put back the book that Stiles had chosen. Peter pulled out two different books before turning his attention back to Stiles. "These are much more accurate."

"Oh. Uh. Thank you." Stiles held out a hand for the books, but Peter didn't seem to notice. 

Instead, the man strode forward. Stiles was forced to step aside or risk another collision, but somehow in the maneuvering he ended up with Peter's hand in the small of his back as the Alpha gently herded him towards the front of the store. "I believe I heard that you were going to Berkeley in the fall, is that correct?" Peter asked, glancing down at him as they approached the counter.

"Uh, yeah," Stiles replied. He watched in confusion as Peter set the two books on werewolves on the counter. Stiles set down his own books in order to free up his hands, but Peter slid the two books across the counter towards Brian. Stiles wouldn't be able to reach them without leaning into Peter or lunging across the counter. "Umm… I can…"

"Do you have a particular major in mind," Peter asked, "or were you focusing on general education requirements your first year?" Peter turned towards Stiles. His blue eyes were intense when his full attention was on you.

"Uh… Yeah. No. I mean," Stiles fumbled. He glanced at Brian ringing up the books and decided he would just hand over his cash when it was time to pay. He glanced at Peter again. "I haven't really settled on one major yet, so I’m planning on taking a couple different intro courses in addition to my gen eds."

Stiles felt movement by his side, but before he could look Peter was speaking again. "Oh, and what majors are you deciding between?" The amazing thing was, Peter genuinely sounded interested. Not just asking to be polite. He leaned in towards Stiles as if they weren't at the checkout counter trying to buy books. 

"Well, I like criminology and forensics, you know, because of my dad. But, um… I am also kind of interested in Computer Science?" Stiles hesitated, but continued where Peter's apparent level of interest didn't wane. "Like, the cyber fraud stuff seems kind of interesting, but I also find Cryptozoology really interesting… Like, the cultural and history parts. Not so much the biology part cause I am not super into the medical or sciencey careers really…" Stiles trailed off when Peter reached across the counter to accept a bag from Brian. He looked down towards where his small pile of books had been, but there was nothing there. Stiles looked around, but the books weren't anywhere in sight. 

Peter once more took advantage of Stiles's confusion to steer him towards the door.

"But," Stiles protested, looking back at the counter where Brian had already resumed reading. The door chimed as Stiles was led outside. He tried to turn back into the store, but Peter's hand was unyielding and his body was blocking the doorway. "My books… I didn't pay…" 

"Nonsense," Peter steamrolled right over Stiles's protests. "It was lovely to see you, Stiles. I hope to hear more about your studies next time."

Before Stiles knew what was happening Peter had handed over a hefty bag of books. Stiles looked down and was surprised to find his books and the werewolf books inside. When he glanced back up, Peter was nowhere in sight. 

"What the hell just happened?"

Unfortunately there was no answer.


End file.
